Locomotive tender with oil separator



July 26, 19.27. 1,636,781

' G. E. RYDER LGCOMOTIVE' TENDER WITH OIL SEPARATOR' Filed 0G13. 10, 1925 Hinwil M E GLBE yp E INVENToR.

A TTORNEY.

Patented July 26, 1927.

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GILBERT E. RYDER, or LEONIA.- ivii'vv"v JERSEASSIGNOR Tio sUrEitHEATnacoM- PANY; QFNEWYORX, N. Y. Y

LOCOMOTIVE :TENDER WITH OIL SEPAEATOR.

Application filed October 10, 1925.` `Seriallo.v 61,867.

My invention relates to the construction of locomotive tendertanks andY hasl specific reference to the provision of mea-ns which may be built into such tanks for the pur-v pose of separating oil from contaminated water which' it is desired to return `to the tanks.

Y lVhere heaters off the closed type are used for heating the feed water of locomotives Aby means of exhaust steam, the amountv of condensate formed i-n- .the heater ,is` tool large for direct discharge to vthe track or up the locomotive stack andlfor this reason, aswell as because of the vadvantage to be derived from conserving the locomotive water sup-v ply, the condensa-te isreturu'ed to thejlocomotive tender tank. y

rlhe condensate` as discharged from the heater is, however,l unsuitable for directie: turn to the tender tank, as it is contaminated with lubricating oil and other impurities of a hea-vier nature carried over from the engine cylinders by theexhaust steam. It is necessary, therefore, to provide V'some means of separating this oi-l before the condensate is returned to the tank. The usual location of feedwvater heatersof this type is only slightly above theV level of the top of the tender, with the condensate return being` Because of the lowl effected by gravity. head available for the return of the condensate to the tender, it is necessary that the oil be removed by a filter or separator which imposes little if any resistance to the flow in the return line.

The object of the present invention' is, therefore, the provision of a separator which may be cheaply and readily installed in eX- isting tender tanks or applied to new tanks, and which will effectively remove the oil and other impurities from a condensate return line before discharging the condensate into the tank. It is a further object `of the invention to provide a device of this character which will impose no resistance to flow in the condensate return line, and other and more detailed objects of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

ln the accompanying drawing, I `have shown in vertical section a preferred form of my invention as applied to a locomotive tender tank.

Referring to the ligure, the tank is repre sented generally at 1, and has the usual bottom sheet 2', top sheet 3, filling opening and .'.Coverjpl'ate L1', with the sheet 5 separating the Vby riveting or welding. Theaopening '7 in sheet 2 is-closed by means of a depending sheet .9, forming a chamber beneath the open end of the-casing 8, the-sheet 9V being'. secured to sheet 2 in any approved manner to'form a watertight joint.: As will be noted from. the figure, the opening A7 is slightly larger than the casing- 82 extending therethrough, so' that ajn. open passage from the chamber-10 into themain tankis provided; through opening 7V outside the cas-ing S The condensate return pipe 11 enters the top fof the casing, 8 throughan openingin the sheet 3, andn is preferably'*provided at its discharge end with a fitting. 12 to direct the flowfthe'refroin againstv the wall of the easing, although this latter feature is not essential to thefope'rati'on of the devi-ee.y An overflow pipe 13;, having an inlet substan-g hairy level' with the top of the tank is prvided, this'pipe most conveniently passing downwardly through the casing 8, and 'out' through an opening in the sheet 9, although if desired, this overflow may be carried through the side of the casing and the tender tank, as it is essential only that the overilow have an inlet near the top of the tank and operate by gravity flow. The overflow pipe may be left open, or if desired a valve 14 for closing the pipe may be provided, in which case an atmospheric vent 15 is provided in sheet 3 to establish communication between the top of the casing 8 and the outside air. A valved drain 16 is provided for the removal of sludge accumulations from chamber 10. I

The operation of the deviceis as follows: When the tender tank is filled, water flows into lthe casing 8 through the open lower end thereof until the level in the casing is the same as that in the main tank, the pipe 13 or vent 15 preventing the formation of .an air pocketin the upper end of the cas-.l

level therein above that in the surrounding tank, vbut as the tank and casingare in open communication with each other, the water levels are equalized byV flow 'from the casinginto the tank by way of the chamber l() at the bottom of the casing. The downward flow of the water through the casing is very slow because ot the large cross sectional area provided thereby and ample opportunity is given for the light oil carried over in the condensate to separate and rise to the surface within the casing, while carbonized oil and the other heavier impurities carried by the condensate settle to the bottom of chamber l0 'tromwhich they may beftrom time to time removed through the valved drain IG. As the casing extends below the level of the bottom ot the tank, the separated oil, indicated at l?, even though the main tank isY completely'empty, is trapped and held within the casing 8. Tanks of this character are invariably, in fnormal operation, lilled until they overflow, and th-e lilling operation thus raises the water level in the tank, and' also inthe casingl 8, to the top thereof. When the tank is thus filled, the oil and other impurities lheating,` on the surface oi the, water in the casing 8 are discharged through the overflow pipe V13, which forms a means for periodically removing the accumulation of impurities auto- .Y matically whenever the ytank is completely iilled. u Y

It will thus be seen that I have provided simple and inexpensive apparatus which will operate to effectively remove oil and other floating impurities from condensate returned to the tender, which creates no resistance to lflow in the condensate return line, and which is entirely automatic in operation.

`I claim: Y

1. In apparatus ot the class described, the combination with a locomotive tender tank, of a casing extending downwardly therein, means forming a passage establishing communication between the lower portion ot said casing and said tank with a portion ot said passage lyingwholly below the level ot' the bottom et said tank, a condensate re* turn pipe opening into said casing, and an overflow pipe leading from the upper poi tion ot said casing.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a locomotive tender having a chamber ltormedby a depression in the bottom of said tank, oit a casiiig havingan open end located in said tank with its open end` extending,- intoA said chamber, a condensate return pipe opening into said casing', and an overflow pipe leading :from the upper portion oit said chamber.

3. VIn apparatus of the class described, the combination with a locomotive tender tank, having an opening in the bottom sheet thereof, of an open ended casing adapted to be inserted through said opening, said casing being attached at its upper end to the top sheet of said tank and extending at its lower end through said opening, a sheet closing said opening, said sheet forming a chamber encompassing` the lower end of said casing, a condensate return pipe discharging into said casing, and an overflow pipe leading from the upper Vportionof said casing.

y GILBERT E. RYDER. 

